NDDC Ends Renting, Gets New Hqtrs 25 Years After

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has finally ended the era of renting of offices as it, yesterday, officially got a new headquarters in Port Harcourt, 25 years after the construction of the building commenced.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who virtually joined the commissioning ceremony from the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja, commended the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, for steadfastness in ending many years of renting by the commission, and the attendant profligacy.
The President recalled that the land on which the NDDC building now stands was acquired by the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) in 1996, but was later abandoned and completed after series of design amendments.
According to him, “In 2015, as part of our administration’s cardinal objectives to kill corruption, some critical reforms were embarked upon, part of which was a holistic reform of the NDDC for greater service delivery for the people of the region”.
He further said, “To achieve this, I reassigned the supervision of the NDDC to the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs for administrative efficiency. The second was the appointment of forensic auditors to review the operations of the commission from inception to 2019, and to ensure that the appropriations made to the NDDC are commensurate with what is on the ground”.
“Today, we are handing over to the people of Niger Delta, a befitting Head Office Complex for present and future use. Consequently, huge yearly rentals would now be saved and deployed to other areas of needs in the region.
“I commend the management and staff of the NDDC for staying the course and keying into the Reform Agenda of our Administration.”

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa